SAHP: Upgrades to get back into the work force #YMCCommunity

You spend a year at home on Maternity/ Paternity leave and then maybe, just maybe, you choose to stay home with the kids.

Finances are tight with one income, but you learn to make to money stretch and you’re OK with that.

Five or more years down the road, when you’re done having babies and they’re now in school full-time, you may be ready to get back into the work force. Perhaps you’re still at home with a little one and could take this opportunity to enroll in a distance program that will allow you to upgrade your skills or start a new career, but at the same time be at home with the kidlets.

But the working world has changed since you last worked and now your skills are probably outdated. You’ll need to upgrade your skills and chances are, you’ll be needing to take a course or more. Maybe you want to completely change your direction and taking a course or program is a definite must.

But, again…finances are tight because you are a single income household and monies brought in go to the most important things like bills, food, school stuff, extra-curricular activities for the kids, gifts for the plethora of birthday parties that your kids get invited to and the never ending clothes shopping for your growing spawn. Furthering your education just seems to take a back seat to all of these things. What about before and afterschool care for your kids, so you can attend school full-time?

How do you make it work?

Is there financial aid available or even better…bursaries or scholarships that can be obtained?

What about childcare subsidies? Hubby makes too much for us to qualify, but we just can’t fathom $450/month per kid!

Where do you start looking? The banks, the institution in which your desired programs are being offered?

These are things to consider when you’re planning on getting back into the workforce or going back to school.

I am a full-time Stay-At-Home-Mom…I want to take this opportunity to learn more.

Our kids are in school now. Come September, it’ll be full-time for both.

I know what I want to do. We just need to sort out the details of before and after school care and how to pay for it!

Have you gone back to school after being out of the workforce for an extended period of time? How did you manage financially?